JP2017019623A - Workpiece supply device, picking device, clock assembly device, and picking method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a workpiece supply device which supplies work-pieces in a manner such that the work-pieces are arranged in a desired posture, to provide a picking device which accurately picks up the supplied work-pieces, a clock assembly device, and a picking method.SOLUTION: A workpiece supply device 10 includes: a pallet 100 having multiple groove parts 104 arranged in an arc shape and a stepped part 105 having a stepped surface 1051 intersecting with a circumferential direction of the pallet 100, the pallet 100 configured to house work-pieces W; a vibration part 120 which drives the pallet 100 by vibration and transports the work-pieces W toward the stepped part 105 in a circumferential direction. Further, the multiple groove parts 104 are concentrically arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece supply device, a picking device, a timepiece assembling device, and a picking method.

  Conventionally, a production line that performs mechanical assembly work of products has multiple manufacturing processes, supplying the necessary parts for each manufacturing process, and gripping the supplied parts with a robot etc. by image recognition etc. It is performed by moving to a proper position and assembling.

  In the bin picking device of Patent Document 1, the bottom surface of the pallet in which the workpiece is accommodated and the four wall surfaces of the pallet are divided, and the bottom surface of the pallet and the wall surface of the pallet can move relatively up and down. It is disclosed that the height of the wall surface of the pallet is changed in accordance with the work height in the pallet.

JP 2010-105081 A

  However, in the bin picking device of Patent Document 1, in the case of stacked workpieces, the workpieces overlap each other, so that it is difficult to accurately recognize the position and posture of the workpiece even if three-dimensional image recognition is performed. There is a problem. In addition, the chuck structure and operation for picking up the workpiece are complicated, and there is a problem that it is difficult to pick up accurately. Moreover, there exists a subject that the cycle time of an assembly becomes long by these.

In general, the shape of the workpiece is, for example, a plate-shaped workpiece that requires inversion of the front and back, or a workpiece that has a protrusion on the outer surface of the workpiece and that tilts when placed on a flat surface (so-called poor installation). Also in the case of supplying and picking, similarly to the above, it is difficult to accurately recognize the position and posture of the work, and there are problems such as that it takes time to pick up and a mistake in pickup occurs.
Accordingly, there has been a demand for a workpiece supply device that supplies a workpiece in a desired posture, a picking device that accurately picks up the supplied workpiece, a timepiece assembling device, and a picking method.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] A workpiece supply apparatus according to this application example includes a groove portion arranged in an arc shape, a step portion having a step surface intersecting with a circumferential direction, and a pallet for accommodating a workpiece, And a vibration part that applies vibration to the pallet.

  According to such a workpiece supply device, for example, when the workpiece has a protrusion (convex portion) on the outer surface and tilts when placed on a flat surface, the protrusion that causes the tilt is arranged on the surface of the pallet. In this way, the workpiece can be supplied in a desired posture by being guided by the groove portion arranged in an arc shape. In addition, a workpiece that has not been guided by the groove (a workpiece that did not have the desired posture) is dropped from a stepped portion having a stepped surface that intersects the circumferential direction of the pallet, so that the position at which the workpiece is conveyed is set to the previous position. The probability of a desired posture can be improved by shifting or reversing the work. The dropped workpiece is circulated by transporting it again on the surface of the pallet toward the stepped portion.

  Application Example 2 In the workpiece supply apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that a plurality of groove portions are arranged concentrically.

  According to such a workpiece supply apparatus, for example, with respect to a workpiece having a shape that is inclined when placed on a plane, the number of workpieces in a desired posture can be efficiently increased by a plurality of concentric grooves. Can do. Further, by increasing the number of workpieces guided to the groove portions, it is possible to reduce separation from the groove portions due to collisions between the workpieces, and to perform stable conveyance.

  Application Example 3 In the workpiece supply apparatus according to the application example described above, the pallet preferably includes a surface portion that is orthogonal to the center axis of the pallet.

  According to such a workpiece supply device, when a workpiece guided in the groove and having a desired posture is positioned on a surface portion orthogonal to the central axis of the pallet, for example, by picking up the workpiece, The workpiece can be picked up accurately with a stable posture as compared with the case where the picking is performed at the inclined and intersecting surface portions.

  Application Example 4 In the workpiece supply apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the pallet includes a portion having translucency.

  According to such a workpiece supply device, for example, when the workpiece is positioned above the translucent portion of the pallet and light is irradiated from below the translucent portion, the light is transmitted as it is. And the case where the work is shielded from light. Thereby, the position (shape) and attitude | position of a workpiece | work can be made clear.

  Application Example 5 In the workpiece supply apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the part having translucency includes synthetic resin or glass.

  According to such a workpiece supply device, the pallet is configured to include a light-transmitting synthetic resin material or a light-transmitting glass material, thereby easily forming a light-transmitting portion. Can do.

  Application Example 6 A picking device according to this application example includes any of the above-described workpiece supply devices, a detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the workpiece in the pallet, a pickup unit that picks up the workpiece, and a detection unit. And a control unit that outputs an instruction to pick up the workpiece toward the pickup unit based on the detection result.

  According to such a picking device, the workpiece is picked up by detecting the position and orientation of the workpiece by the detection unit and the instruction to the pickup unit by the control unit based on the detection result by the detection unit with respect to the workpiece supplied by the workpiece supply device. The workpiece can be picked up easily and accurately by the section.

  Application Example 7 In the picking device according to the application example described above, it is preferable that an illumination unit that irradiates light toward the pallet is provided on the back side of the surface on which the groove portion of the pallet is disposed.

  According to such a picking apparatus, light can be transmitted from the part which has the translucency of a pallet by irradiating light to a pallet from the illumination part with which the back surface side of a pallet is equipped. As a result, the contrast between the workpiece and the surroundings can be improved. For example, when the detection unit includes an imaging unit for acquiring image data of the workpiece, the imaging can be performed with high contrast, and the position and orientation of the workpiece can be determined. Detection can be performed more accurately.

  [Application Example 8] A timepiece assembling apparatus according to this application example includes any one of the picking apparatuses described above and a transport unit that transports an assembly to be assembled with a workpiece picked up by the picking apparatus. Features.

  According to such a timepiece assembling apparatus, the timepiece can be assembled accurately and the cycle time can be improved.

  Application Example 9 A picking method according to this application example includes a workpiece having a convex portion, a pallet for accommodating the workpiece, a groove portion arranged in an arc shape on the surface side of the pallet, and a step intersecting with the circumferential direction of the pallet. A step of preparing a step portion having a surface and a workpiece supply device having a vibration portion that vibrates the pallet, a conveyance step of conveying the workpiece by the workpiece supply device, and a workpiece conveyed by the conveyance step are detected. And a pickup step of picking up a workpiece detected in the detection step with a pickup portion.

  According to such a picking method, the groove portion of the workpiece supply device includes, as a pitch, a convex portion guided by the groove portion, and is within the range of 1 to 2 times the longest dimension to the outer shape of the workpiece. Is set to Thereby, in the conveyance process in the workpiece supply device, even when the convex portion of the workpiece is guided to the groove portion and the adjacent groove portion, the workpiece and the workpiece are overlapped and reduced as much as possible, It is possible to reduce detachment from the groove due to a collision between workpieces, and to perform stable conveyance. In addition, it is possible to perform efficient conveyance without creating a useless space. Further, in the detection process in the picking device, the position and orientation of the workpiece can be detected more accurately by the detection unit with respect to the efficiently conveyed workpiece. Further, in the pick-up process in the picking device, the picked-up part can be picked up easily and accurately with respect to the detected workpiece. Moreover, cycle time can be improved by these.

The perspective view which shows the timepiece assembly apparatus of this embodiment. The top view which looked at the timepiece assembly apparatus from upper direction. The figure which shows the notch part of the pallet of a workpiece | work supply apparatus. The top view which looked at the pallet (pallet with the cover installed) from above. The perspective view which shows a pallet. The perspective view which shows a pallet. The expanded sectional view which shows a groove part. The perspective view which shows the general shape of a workpiece | work. The schematic sectional side view which shows an illumination part. The figure which shows the image which imaged the visual angle area | region by the detection part (imaging part).

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Embodiment

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a timepiece assembling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the timepiece assembling apparatus 1 as viewed from above. The configuration of the timepiece assembling apparatus 1 will be schematically described with reference to FIGS.

  The timepiece assembling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is assembled as an apparatus that takes charge of one manufacturing process (assembling process) in a manufacturing line (timepiece assembling line 1000) that performs mechanical assembling work of a timepiece having a plurality of manufacturing processes. It is rare. The timepiece assembling apparatus 1 repeats the operation of supplying the timepiece work W (FIG. 8) required in the process, and gripping the supplied work W by the pickup unit 220 by image recognition and moving it to a required position. Run.

  In addition, the drawing explaining this embodiment is shown using an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system for convenience of explanation. Specifically, in FIG. 1, the direction from the left side to the right side (the direction in which the timepiece assembly line 1000 flows) is defined as the X-axis direction (+ X direction). Also, orthogonal to the X-axis direction, the direction from the front to the back of the paper is the Y-axis direction (+ Y direction), orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the upper direction from the lower side of the paper is the Z-axis direction (+ Z direction) ). It should be noted that the + X direction is appropriately used as the forward direction (the −X direction is the backward direction), the + Y direction is the left direction (the −Y direction is the right direction), and the + Z direction is the upward direction (the −Z direction is the downward direction).

  More specifically, the timepiece assembly line 1000 according to the present embodiment is a line for assembling a movement M (a product to be assembled) that is a content of the timepiece. The timepiece assembling apparatus 1 is an apparatus for incorporating a part (work W) called a mandarin duck (FIG. 8) into the movement M in the timepiece assembling line 1000. The mandarin duck is a part that engages with a shaft called a winding stem to which a crown is attached to fix the winding stem, and also serves as a crown changeover switch when setting the time.

  The timepiece assembling apparatus 1 includes a picking device 20 including a workpiece supply device 10 and a transport unit 30 that transports an assembly target in which the workpiece W is incorporated. The workpiece supply device 10 is a device that transports the workpiece W and supplies it to the picking device 20. The picking device 20 is a device that picks up the workpiece W supplied from the workpiece supply device 10, moves it to the movement M flowing through the timepiece assembly line 1000, and performs an operation of incorporating it into the movement M. In addition, the picking apparatus 20 is installed in the form which pinched | interposed the conveyance part 30 which conveys the movement M. FIG.

  The workpiece supply apparatus 10 includes a circular pallet 100 in a plan view that conveys the workpiece W, a vibration unit 120 that is installed below the pallet 100 and applies vibrations to the pallet 100, and a pallet that is installed above the pallet 100. And a supply hopper 130 for supplying the workpiece W to 100. As a result, the workpiece W supplied to the supply hopper 130 falls from the tip portion 1301 to the pallet 100 due to the vibration of the supply hopper 130. The dropped workpiece W is conveyed in the circumferential direction along the surface of the pallet 100 by the vibration of the pallet 100. In the present embodiment, the workpiece W is conveyed counterclockwise when the pallet 100 is viewed from above.

  The picking device 20 includes the above-described workpiece supply device 10, the detection unit 200, the illumination unit 210 (FIG. 9), a pickup unit 220, and a circuit unit (not shown). The detection unit 200 detects the position and orientation of the workpiece W in the pallet 100 in the workpiece supply apparatus 10. The illumination unit 210 is installed on the back side of the pallet 100 and irradiates light toward the pallet 100. The pickup unit 220 picks up the workpiece W, moves it to a predetermined position of the movement M flowing through the timepiece assembly line 1000, and incorporates the workpiece W at a predetermined position in the movement.

  The circuit unit includes a control unit (not shown), and instructs the pickup unit 220 to pick up the workpiece W based on the detection result by the detection unit 200. The control unit also instructs the pickup unit 220 to incorporate the movement M thereafter. When the assembly is completed, if there is still a work W that can be picked up on the pallet 100, the picking device 20 repeats the pickup and the assembly operation again. The control unit is stored in a portion of the picking device 20 that is not shown.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the notch 107 of the pallet 100 of the workpiece supply apparatus 10. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pallet 100 (the pallet 100 on which the cover 108 is installed) viewed from above. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing the pallet 100. FIG. 5 and 6 show perspective views in a state where the viewpoint is changed. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the groove 104. The configuration and operation of the pallet 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the pallet 100 is generally formed in a disk shape around the central axis Ax. A fixing part 101 for fixing the pallet 100 to a vibrating part 120 installed at the lower part of the pallet 100 is formed in a cylindrical shape at the center of the pallet 100. The outer peripheral portion of the pallet 100 is formed with an edge portion 102 that is one step higher than the conveyance surface portion 103 that conveys the workpiece W. The fixed portion 101 is also configured with the same height as the edge portion 102. Therefore, the conveyance surface portion 103 is sandwiched between the fixed portion 101 and the edge portion 102.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pallet 100 is partially formed with a notch 107. The notch 107 is formed in the pallet 100 so as to have a notch surface portion 1071 that expands from the center axis Ax at a predetermined angle α, a part of the outer peripheral portion is also notched, and is lowered by one step from the conveying surface portion 103.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, in the present embodiment, the conveyance surface portion 103 is formed in a spiral shape having one or less rounds around the central axis Ax. Specifically, one end portion of the conveyance surface portion 103 cut out by the notch portion 107 is a start end portion 103a, the other end portion is a termination portion 103b, and a predetermined angle is clockwise from the end portion 103b toward the start end portion 103a. When the portion returned by β is the spiral end portion 103c, the conveyance surface portion 103 is formed in a so-called spiral shape that gradually rises counterclockwise from the start end portion 103a toward the spiral end portion 103c. The conveyance surface portion 103 extending from the spiral end portion 103c to the end portion 103b is formed to be a surface portion orthogonal to the central axis Ax. This surface portion is referred to as a flat surface portion 1031.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the notch 107 of the pallet 100 is provided with a cover 108 that closes the notch 107 and is formed so that the work W is conveyed also in the closed part. . Specifically, the cover 108 is formed integrally with an outer shape component 1081 that forms the outer shape of the pallet 100 and an auxiliary conveyance surface portion 1082 that is configured as the conveyance surface portion 103.

  Similar to the conveyance surface portion 103, the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108 is formed in a spiral shape. Specifically, when the cover 108 is installed in the cutout portion 107, the spiral shape of the transport surface portion 103 is formed so as to be uniformly extended to the transport assist surface portion 1082. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, a step is generated between the terminal end portion 103 b of the conveyance surface portion 103 and the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108. This step portion is hereinafter referred to as a step portion 105. Further, the side surface from the end portion 103b of the conveyance surface portion 103 to the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108 by the step portion 105 is hereinafter referred to as a step surface 1051. In other words, it can be said that the step portion 105 includes a step surface 1051 that intersects the circumferential direction of the pallet 100.

  The cover 108 is configured to be detachable from the cutout portion 107 and is fixed to the cutout portion 107 with two screws SC1. The cover 108 is removed from the notch 107 when the work W to be conveyed to the pallet 100 is switched. Then, a member (not shown) is installed in the notch 107, and the workpiece W that has been transported up to now is collected in this member. And after removing this member from the notch part 107, the cover 108 is installed in the notch part 107 again. Thereafter, the workpiece W to be newly conveyed is put into the pallet 100.

  A plurality of grooves 104 are concentrically formed around the central axis Ax in the conveyance surface portion 103 of the pallet 100. Even if there is a protrusion on the outer surface of the workpiece W to be conveyed, the groove portion 104 regulates the posture of the workpiece W to a desired posture on the conveying surface portion 103 by guiding (releasing) the protrusion to the groove portion 104. Part. In addition, by the projection of the workpiece W being guided by the groove portion 104, the workpiece W is placed and conveyed on the conveyance surface portion 103 in a desired posture. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, a total of 18 groove portions 104 are formed at an equal pitch P. Note that no groove is formed in the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108 that conveys the workpiece W.

  In the present embodiment, the desired posture is a posture in which the pickup unit 220 can correctly and reliably pick up the workpiece W. Although the details will be described later, the surface of the workpiece W to be picked up is the front surface. The posture is substantially parallel to the conveyance surface portion 103 and faces upward. In other words, the projection of the workpiece W is guided by the groove portion 104 and the back surface is in contact with the conveyance surface portion 103.

  Here, the dimension value of each part of the pallet 100 is shown. In addition, the workpiece | work W demonstrated below is the workpiece | work W including the assembly parts for watches other than a mandarin duck and a mandarin duck, and the pallet 100 of this embodiment can be used also for conveyance of a mandarin duck and components other than a mandarin duck. It is configured as follows.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer shape D of the pallet 100 is φ210 mm, which is the maximum pallet outer shape allowed for the vibration unit 120. Further, the inner diameter d of the pallet 100 is φ200 mm, which is 10 times or more the outer dimension of the workpiece W to be conveyed (the maximum outer dimension of the workpiece W is assumed to be 17 mm). Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the step H1 of the step portion 105 is 4 mm, which is equal to or larger than the minimum outer dimension of the workpiece W (the minimum outer dimension of the workpiece W is assumed to be 4 mm).

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the depth H2 of the groove part 104 is 0.5 mm, and the maximum protrusion height of the workpiece | work W assumes 0.3 mm. Further, it is assumed that the width H3 of the groove 104 is 0.8 mm, and the diameter of the maximum protrusion of the workpiece W is 0.5 mm. The pitch P of the groove portion 104 is 3.8 mm, and is 1 to 2 times the longest dimension including the portion (convex portion) of the workpiece W guided by the groove portion 104 to the outer shape of the workpiece W. It is set within the range.

  Note that the pallet 100 is configured to have translucency except for the cover 108. In this embodiment, the pallet 100 is made of a synthetic resin material having translucency (in this embodiment, a polycarbonate resin having translucency). The cover 108 is made of a synthetic resin material that does not have translucency.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a general shape of the workpiece W. FIG. With reference to FIG. 8, the shape of the mandarin duck as the workpiece | work W of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  The workpiece supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment supplies a mandarin duck which is an assembly part of a watch as a workpiece W. As shown in FIG. 8, the mandarin duck (hereinafter referred to as a work W) is formed in a plate shape having various bent shapes. The work W is formed with a through hole B1. Further, a protrusion C1 protruding in a columnar shape is formed on the front (front) surface Wa of the workpiece W, and a protrusion C2 protruding similarly in a columnar shape is formed on the back surface Wb.

A dimensional relationship of the workpiece W (whitebird) shown in FIG. 8 will be schematically described.
The height from the surface Wa of the protrusion C1 of the workpiece W is 0.3 mm. Further, the height of the protrusion C2 from the back surface Wb is also 0.3 mm. Further, the diameter of the protrusion C1 is 0.3 mm, and the diameter of the protrusion C2 is 0.4 mm. The workpiece W has a length L1 in the longitudinal direction of 5 mm and a length L2 in the short direction (minimum shape) of 2.5 mm.

  When the workpiece W formed in this way is placed on the conveyance surface portion 103, the projection C1 or C2 is the conveyance surface portion regardless of which side surface (front surface Wa, back surface Wb) of the workpiece W faces the conveyance surface portion 103 side. It cannot be placed stably because it is in contact with 103 and tilts. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the projection C2 on the back surface Wb side is guided to the groove portion 104 so as to make the posture in which the back surface Wb is in contact with the conveyance surface portion 103 (the posture in which the front surface Wa faces upward). ing. Such a posture is a desired posture.

  When the workpiece W has a desired posture, the picking device 20 described later can pick up the workpiece W, and can also incorporate the workpiece W into the movement M at the destination after the pickup. In the present embodiment, the picking device 20 picks up the workpiece W on the surface of the pickup area A3 set on the surface Wa. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the picking device 20 performs a pickup operation by suction.

Next, conveyance of the workpiece W in the workpiece supply apparatus 10 will be described.
First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece W is supplied to the supply hopper 130. This supply is performed by the operator. The workpiece W supplied to the supply hopper 130 is dropped into the pallet 100 from the front end portion 1301 to the pallet 100 located below the front end portion 1301 due to the vibration of the supply hopper 130. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the workpiece W is thrown into the throwing area A <b> 1 which is a part slightly moved counterclockwise from the starting end portion 103 a of the transport surface portion 103 of the pallet 100 in detail.

  The workpiece W put into the feeding area A1 starts to be conveyed counterclockwise through the conveying surface portion 103 of the pallet 100 toward the end portion 103b by the vibration of the vibrating portion 120. In this embodiment, the vibration unit 120 employs an electromagnetic type using an electromagnet. The vibrating unit 120 may be a piezoelectric type using a piezoelectric element.

  In the process of moving the conveyance surface portion 103, the workpiece W moves in a posture (desired posture) in which the protrusion C2 is guided by the groove portion 104 and the back surface Wb is in contact with the conveyance surface portion 103. Sometimes it moves without being. When the workpiece W passes through the spiral terminal portion 103c of the conveyance surface portion 103, the workpiece W is not a surface inclined in a spiral shape but a flat surface portion 1031 that is a flat surface (a surface orthogonal to the central axis Ax). Moving.

  In the present embodiment, an area for picking up by the picking device 20 described later is set in the area from the helical terminal part 103c to the terminal part 103b of the transport surface part 103. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the workpiece W is picked up in a viewing angle region A <b> 2 that is a substantially rectangular region.

  Note that the workpiece W that is not located in the viewing angle region A2 or the workpiece W that is located in the viewing angle region A2 but is not in the desired posture moves on the flat surface portion 1031 and reaches the end portion 103b. By moving after that, the workpiece W falls from the stepped portion 105 formed in the end portion 103b to the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108. The workpiece W that has fallen on the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 moves on the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 and reaches the starting end portion 103a.

  As described above, the process of transporting the work W on the pallet 100 of the work supply apparatus 10 corresponds to the transport process in the picking method. The picking method of the present embodiment includes a transport process, a detection process, and a pickup process. The detection process and the pickup process will be sequentially described below.

  The pitch P of the groove portions 104 is 3.8 mm, and in this embodiment, the pitch P is 1 time with respect to the longest dimension (L3) up to the outer shape of the workpiece W including the protrusion C2 of the workpiece W guided by the groove portion 104. Is set to Thereby, even when the protrusion C2 of the workpiece W is guided to the groove portion 104 and the adjacent groove portion 104, the workpiece W and the workpiece W are prevented from being overlapped and conveyed as much as possible. Further, it is possible to reduce the separation from the groove 104 due to a collision between the workpieces W and the like, and to perform stable conveyance.

  Further, the step H1 of the step 105 is 4 mm, and the minimum external dimension (L2) of the workpiece W of this embodiment is 2.5 mm. Thereby, by dropping the workpiece W that has not been picked up from the step portion 105, the probability that the posture of the workpiece W becomes a desired posture (the posture in which the protrusion C2 is guided to the groove portion 104) by the next conveyance is obtained. It is improving.

Next, the configuration and operation of the picking apparatus 20 will be described.
The picking device 20 of the present embodiment includes the above-described workpiece supply device 10, the detection unit 200, the illumination unit 210, the pickup unit 220, and a circuit unit (not shown) including a control unit. . The detection part 200 detects the position and attitude | position of the workpiece | work W in the pallet 100 in the workpiece | work supply apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. The detection unit 200 includes an imaging unit 201 for acquiring image data of the workpiece W in the pallet 100. The imaging unit 201 is configured by a camera using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The detection unit 200 is installed above the flat surface portion 1031 of the pallet 100 and images the inside of the viewing angle region A2 set in the flat surface portion 1031.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side sectional view for explaining the illumination unit 210. The configuration and operation of the illumination unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG.
The picking device 20 includes an illumination unit 210 that assists the imaging by the detection unit 200. As shown in FIG. 9, the illumination unit 210 is configured in a flat plate shape, and is installed by cutting out a part of the pallet 100 on the back side of the pallet 100. Specifically, the illumination unit 210 is installed by cutting out the back side of the pallet 100 located below the flat surface portion 1031 of the pallet 100. The illumination unit 210 is configured using an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The illumination unit 210 irradiates light toward the pallet 100 located above.

  The pallet 100 is configured to have translucency as described above, and transmits light from the illumination unit 210. In particular, the flat surface portion 1031 facing the illumination unit 210 transmits the light most, but in the present embodiment, the entire pallet 100 also transmits the light. On the other hand, since the workpiece W in the pallet 100 is made of metal in the present embodiment, it blocks light transmitted through the pallet 100 (conveying surface portion 103). Thereby, when the imaging unit 201 images the viewing angle region A2, the contrast ratio between the workpiece W and the pallet 100 can be improved, and the position (shape) and orientation of the workpiece W can be clearly imaged.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an image obtained by imaging the viewing angle region A2 by the detection unit 200 (imaging unit 201). The operation of the control unit will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit analyzes the image as the detection result from the detection unit 200 (image processing), and selects the workpiece W in which the protrusion C2 is guided in the groove portion 104 and the surface Wa is directed upward. FIG. 10 shows a state where the control unit has selected three workpieces W1, W2, and W3 as the workpiece W (workpiece W to be picked up) having a desired posture as a result of performing image processing. ing. Note that the workpiece W in which the protrusion C1 of the front surface Wa of the workpiece W is guided to the groove portion 104 and the back surface Wb faces upward is picked up by image processing in the control unit even if the posture is stable without tilting. Is not selected as the target of

  When the detection unit 200 images the workpiece W, the control unit gives an instruction to stop the conveyance of the workpiece W by the pallet 100 (stop the vibration of the vibration unit 120). The period in which the conveyance of the workpiece W is stopped is a period from the time of imaging until the last workpiece W selected is picked up. When this period has passed (the last workpiece W has been picked up), the control unit again instructs the oscillating unit 120 to vibrate and causes the pallet 100 to vibrate. Thereby, the pallet 100 restarts conveyance of the workpiece | work W because the vibration part 120 starts a vibration. Thus, in the present embodiment, the control unit causes the vibration unit 120 to perform intermittent driving.

  When the control unit selects the workpiece W (workpieces W1, W2, W3) to be picked up by image processing, the control unit then gives an instruction for picking up the target workpieces W1, W2, W3. To 220. The pickup unit 220 starts a pickup operation upon receiving an instruction from the control unit.

  As described above, the workpiece W transported in the transporting process is imaged by the detection unit 200 (imaging unit 201) of the picking apparatus 20, and the workpiece to be picked up by the control unit based on the captured data. The operation of selecting W by image processing corresponds to the detection step in the picking method. Note that the imaging unit 201 images the workpiece W conveyed to the viewing angle area A2 of the pallet 100 as described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pickup unit 220 is composed of a horizontal articulated robot (so-called SCARA robot). The pickup unit 220 includes a first arm 221, a second arm 222, and a pickup shaft 223 movably installed inside the second arm 222. The pickup unit 220 moves in the X and Y directions by the first arm 221 and the second arm 222, and moves in the Z direction by the shaft 223. In the present embodiment, the pickup unit 220 (particularly the second arm 222) is movably installed between the pallet 100 and the imaging unit 201.

  When receiving an instruction to pick up the workpiece W1 from the control unit, the pickup unit 220 drives the first arm 221 and the second arm 222 based on the position data of the pickup area A3 of the workpiece W1 instructed from the control unit. Then, the shaft 223 is positioned above the pickup area A3. Thereafter, the shaft 223 moves downward, and the workpiece W1 is picked up by a pick jig (not shown) installed at the tip of the shaft 223. In the present embodiment, the pickup is performed by suction using air.

  The pickup unit 220 that has picked up the workpiece W1 next executes the operation stored by teaching. Specifically, the pickup unit 220 performs an operation of moving the picked-up work W1 above the movement M, then lowering the shaft 223, and pushing the work W1 into a predetermined position of the movement M. In this way, the operation until the pickup unit 220 picks up the workpiece W and incorporates it into the movement M is a series of operations.

  When this series of operations ends, the pickup unit 220 then repeats the series of operations on the workpieces W2 and W3 in the same manner as described above. Then, the pickup unit 220 picks up the last workpiece W3 and incorporates it in the movement M, thereby ending the current operation and waiting at a predetermined position until receiving an instruction from the next control unit. Note that when the set condition is satisfied (in this embodiment, after a predetermined time has elapsed), the control unit outputs an imaging instruction to the detection unit 200, and thereafter performs the same control as described above.

  The cycle time of the watch assembly line 1000 of this embodiment is 2.5 seconds. Note that the cycle time of the timepiece assembling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is operated in less than 2.5 seconds, and covers the delay that occurs in other processes in the timepiece assembly line 1000.

  As described above, the operation of picking up the workpiece W detected in the detection step by the pickup unit 220 corresponds to the pickup step in the picking method. As described above, the picking is performed on the workpiece W that has been picked up by the analysis of the image by the control unit.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the workpiece supply device 10 of the present embodiment, when the shape of the workpiece W is the shape where the back surface Wb has a protrusion C2 and is inclined when placed on a flat surface, the protrusion C2 that causes the inclination is provided on the surface of the pallet 100. In this way, the workpiece W can be supplied in a desired posture by guiding the groove portion 104 arranged in an arc shape. Further, the workpiece W that has not been guided to the groove portion 104 (the workpiece W that has not become the desired posture) is dropped from the step portion 105 having the step surface 1051 that intersects the circumferential direction of the pallet 100, thereby It is possible to improve the probability of a desired posture, such as shifting the transported position from the previous time, or reversing the work W upside down.

  According to the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the number of the workpieces W in a desired posture with respect to the workpiece W having a shape that is inclined when placed on a plane due to a plurality of the groove portions 104 being arranged concentrically. Can be increased efficiently. Further, since the number of workpieces W guided to the groove portion 104 increases, the separation from the groove portion 104 due to a collision between the workpieces W can be reduced, and stable conveyance can be performed.

  According to the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the flat surface portion 1031 which is a surface portion orthogonal to the central axis Ax of the pallet 100 in the vicinity of the stepped portion 105 is provided. Therefore, when the workpiece W that has been guided by the groove portion 104 and has a desired posture is positioned on the flat surface portion 1031, the picking device 20 (pickup unit 220) can pick up the workpiece W. As a result, the workpiece can be picked up accurately and in a stable posture as compared with the case where the pick-up is performed with the conveying surface portion 103 having a spiral shape other than the flat surface portion 1031 (incliningly intersecting the central axis Ax).

  According to the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the pallet 100 has translucency, so that when light is irradiated from the lower side of the pallet 100, light is transmitted as it is, In some cases, light is blocked by W. Thereby, the position (shape) and attitude | position of the workpiece | work W can be made clear.

  According to the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the pallet 100 includes the light-transmitting synthetic resin material (polycarbonate resin in the present embodiment), thereby facilitating the light-transmitting pallet 100. Can be formed.

  According to the picking device 20 of the present embodiment, with respect to the workpiece W supplied by the workpiece supply device 10, the detection and detection of the position and orientation of the workpiece W by the detection unit 200 and the pickup by the control unit based on the detection result by the detection unit 200. By instructing the unit 220, the pickup of the workpiece W by the pickup unit 220 can be performed easily and accurately.

  According to the picking apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, light can be transmitted by the translucency of the pallet 100 by irradiating the pallet 100 with light from the illumination unit 210 provided on the back side of the pallet 100. Thereby, since the contrast between the workpiece W and the surroundings can be improved, when the detection unit 200 includes the imaging unit 201 for acquiring image data of the workpiece W, it is possible to capture an image with high contrast, and the position of the workpiece W And the posture can be detected more accurately.

  According to the timepiece assembling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the supplied work W including the work supply device 10 that supplies the work W necessary for assembling the timepiece to a desired posture. Since the picking device 20 for accurately picking up the watch is provided, the timepiece can be assembled accurately and the cycle time can be improved.

  According to the picking method of the present embodiment, the groove portion 104 of the workpiece supply device 10 includes the protrusion C2 guided by the groove portion 104 as the pitch P, and is one or more times the longest dimension to the outer shape of the workpiece W. It is set within the range of 2 times or less. Thereby, in the conveyance process in the workpiece | work supply apparatus 10, even when the processus | protrusion C2 of the workpiece | work W is each guide | induced to the groove part 104 and the adjacent groove part 104, it is conveyed that the workpiece | work W and the workpiece | work W overlap. Further, it is possible to reduce as much as possible, and to reduce the separation from the groove 104 due to the collision between the workpieces W and the like, and to perform stable conveyance. In addition, it is possible to perform efficient conveyance without creating a useless space.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. A modification will be described below.

  The timepiece assembling apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is an apparatus that incorporates, as a workpiece W, a mandarin duck that is a timepiece assembling part into the movement M. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece W can be applied as long as it has a protrusion and can convey the protrusion by guiding it to the groove.

  In the workpiece supply apparatus 10 according to the above-described embodiment, no groove is formed in the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 of the cover 108 that conveys the workpiece W. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveyance auxiliary surface portion 1082 may also be provided with a groove portion connected to the groove portion 104 of the conveyance surface portion 103.

  In the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the above-described embodiment, the versatility of the workpiece supply apparatus 10 is improved corresponding to a plurality of types of workpieces W by detachably installing the cover 108 on the pallet 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in the case where a dedicated work supply apparatus for transporting a fixed work W may be used, the cover 108 may not be installed and the cover 108 may be used as a transport surface portion.

  In the workpiece supply apparatus 10 according to the embodiment, the entire pallet 100 except the cover 108 is formed to have translucency. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the part having translucency may be at least a part corresponding to the area where the workpiece W is imaged. In this embodiment, the part corresponding to the viewing angle area A2 has translucency. It may be that.

  In the workpiece supply apparatus 10 of the embodiment, the pallet 100 is formed of a synthetic resin material having translucency. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pallet 100 may be formed including a light-transmitting glass material.

  In the picking apparatus 20 of the embodiment, the illumination unit 210 is not limited to the LED, and may be configured to use other light emitting means such as a cold cathode tube or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence).

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Clock assembly apparatus, 10 ... Work supply apparatus, 20 ... Picking apparatus, 30 ... Conveyance part, 100 ... Pallet, 103 ... Conveyance surface part, 104 ... Groove part, 105 ... Step part, 120 ... Vibrating part, 200 ... Detection part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 ... Imaging part, 210 ... Illumination part, 220 ... Pickup part, 1031 ... Flat surface part, 1051 ... Step surface, C2 ... Projection (convex part), Ax ... Center axis, W ... Workpiece.

Claims (9)

A pallet for accommodating a workpiece, having a groove portion arranged in an arc shape and a step portion having a step surface intersecting with the circumferential direction;
A vibrating section for applying vibration to the pallet;
A workpiece supply apparatus comprising:   The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the groove portions are concentrically arranged.   The workpiece supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pallet includes a surface portion orthogonal to a central axis of the pallet.   The workpiece supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pallet includes a portion having translucency.   The work supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light-transmitting portion includes a synthetic resin or glass. The workpiece supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A detection unit for detecting the position and posture of the workpiece in the pallet;
A pickup section for picking up the workpiece;
A control unit that outputs an instruction to pick up the workpiece toward the pickup unit based on a detection result by the detection unit;
A picking device comprising:   The picking apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: an illumination unit that irradiates light toward the pallet on a back surface side of the surface of the pallet on which the groove portion is disposed. A picking device according to claim 6 or 7,
A transport unit for transporting an assembly into which the workpiece picked up by the picking device is incorporated;
A timepiece assembling apparatus comprising: A workpiece having a convex part;
A pallet for accommodating the workpiece, a groove portion arranged in an arc shape on the surface side of the pallet, a step portion having a step surface intersecting with a circumferential direction of the pallet, and a vibration portion for applying vibration to the pallet. A process of preparing a workpiece supply device,
A conveying step of conveying the workpiece by the workpiece supply device;
A detection step of detecting the workpiece conveyed by the conveyance step by the detection unit;
A pickup step of picking up the workpiece detected in the detection step by the pickup unit;
The picking method characterized by including.